Ontario

Ford threatens to boycott meeting over Trudeau agenda

Premier Doug Ford is threatening to blow off a First Ministers’ meeting Friday over concerns about the agenda proposed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Ontario Government House Leader Todd Smith said the current agenda does not address the issues provinces want to talk about, including the pending closure of the GM facility in Oshawa.

“We don’t want to be sitting there and listening to lectures from Liberal cabinet ministers,” Smith said Thursday.

Ontario and other provinces want to discuss the oil crisis and pipelines, illegal border crossings and the federal government’s plan to impose a carbon tax, he said.

“They’re deeply concerned about the lack of an agenda really — there’s not much of an agenda,” Smith said. “I think what (Ford) wants is for the Prime Minister to change his mind and change the agenda.”

Smith’s comments came just hours before Ford and Trudeau were scheduled to talk prior to Friday’s meeting of the PM and the nation’s premiers and territorial leaders.

Ford’s staff did not provide an update after the meeting on the Premier’s intentions.

A federal official said the agenda is focused on the economy and trade barriers, but issues like pipelines can easily fit into those discussions.

“The Prime Minister has said we’re willing to talk about whatever the Premiers want to talk about,” the official said, expressing hope that Ford will take this opportunity to chat about a variety of issues.

The federal Liberal government has held this meeting every year, the official said.

Ford will make a decision about whether to attend Friday’s meeting after his talk with the Prime Minister, Smith said.

“We want to be talking about jobs and we want to be talking about the auto sector specifically… Instead what the agenda contains is basically 60 minutes of the premiers of all the provinces being lectured to by federal ministers and that’s not what this should be about,” he said. “This should be a constructive conversation where the provinces can have their voice and have their concerns aired.”

The Ontario Premier has also arranged to meet with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs Thursday “to lay out their priorities in advance of the Council of the Federation” meeting in Montreal.

All three premiers oppose the federal government’s plan to ensure all provinces have a price on carbon emissions.